


Rain City

by Muzuki_chan



Category: 07-Ghost
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-21
Updated: 2015-09-24
Packaged: 2018-04-05 10:27:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4176390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Muzuki_chan/pseuds/Muzuki_chan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cities always look so pretty from afar, but a step inside and you're immersed. Things unfold and pasts come back to haunt you with ugly compromises that are either life or death, neither worth taking. And maybe, that's when both males of different sides realized they definitely wouldn't make out of this one with just a scratch. (AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Launch

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while...and honestly the fandom has been slow lately or maybe that's just me LOL   
> But this has been stuck on my files for a while, and I thought 'Why not?' so here it is~   
> (It's not the great and maybe a bit weird...but I do hope you enjoy! And uhmm ... if you could, please feel free to criticize as well)

He felt nauseous.

The bed he laid upon dipped once more as a warm breath cascaded down his neck while grubby fingers pinched and slid across his unclothed skin. Closing his eyes, he fell to another world, dreaming of the greener grass on the other side of the fence. But with a rough tug on his hair, he flashed his eyes open and saw the reality that he lived in.

The living space was nothing but an ordinary brothel room which was lit by the morning glow of the sun that peeked shyly behind thick grey curtains. Other than that, clothes were also scattered and torn along the floor, beginning from the door to the bed and - green eyes leading upwards - the last cloth left to be removed was remaining on the man above him. He batted his green doe eyes before letting out a content sigh as he hung his arms around the older males neck, fingers lacing together as he took another breath before the plunge.

He never wanted this, but life wasn't so gracious to those who were immersed in this side of the city.

"C'mon now, darlin'. A lil' sugar and sympathy is all I need."

But he had people back home that  _needed_  this, and to give up meant more than losing the money or food they had. They would lose their  _lives_. He promised himself he was never going to leave them defenseless in this monstrous world, and so this was the compromise that his  _God_  had offered to him instead.

"I can deliver more than just that, sir." He purred.

He needn't see the leer to know it was there. So when lips were descending on skin and moans filled the stale air, he knew the compromise had begun again.

~*~

There was an odd duplex that was nestled in the heart of the bustling city of district seven. The building was a hideous dull color of brown that almost, or rather it did as the owner would like to say, resembled feces. Not only was it oddly hideous, but the man who lived there was said to be eccentric and though no one had met the man personally, his reputation around the area had exceeded far more than he could ever imagine.

Within one of its many windows, three tall men could be seen inside and the third with strikingly blond hair threw his arms up in anger, releasing all the papers he held in his clutch.

"No!" he yelled, "I did not sign up for this shit of a mission and why the hell do I have to go to a  _brothel_  for God's sake!?"

The bespectacled man pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing harshly."Well that's the first I've ever heard you  _complain_  about going to a brothel. Besides, don't you regularly visit the red light district in the Seventh District, Frau?"

"That isn't the goddamn point and you know it, Cas. And we also happen to - oh, I don't know -  _live_  in the seventh district if you didn't realize that." Frau said through gritted teeth, "We're not going to get any clues from there and  _why am I out of all people going on this mission?_ "

Castor sighed as he took off his spectacles, cleaning them with a beige handkerchief while Frau fumed angrily at him."Look, Frau, all I'm going to say is that it takes a thief to catch a thief-"

"Oh, so now I'm a thief!? Labrador, back me up here won't you?" Frau yelled hysterically.

Labrador let out a small apologetic laugh. "Well, you did have a bad history before...."

Frau pouted childishly as Labrador paused, leaving the apologetic smile on his face as he sipped a cup of tea from the table. Castor smiled victoriously at Frau as they realized who had won the argument.

"Alright, I get it  _four-eyes_ ," Frau growled, "so get to the point."

"Think about it Frau", Castor whispered. "Right now you're the only one who can do this and no one knows that life better than you do. You might even save thousand of lives," Castor paused before looking Frau straight in the eye, "and maybe this could be your redemption for what happened...before."

Frau remained silent, the thoughts churning around in his head like an unsolvable puzzle. Castor's face remained clenched in the dreadful silence. After a couple minutes, Castor stood up and left the room with Labrador hot on his heels. But before Labrador can fully cross over the threshold of the door, he turned around.

"Frau, you're the only detective that has actual real life experience and...as a friend, I beg of you-"

"Don't beg me Labby," Frau interrupted. "That's just...weird."

Labrador smiled then swiftly left the room, leaving the blond to sit alone in his office. Frau sat, swiveling in his chair as he slumped back comfortably into his seat. He brought his palms to his face, exhaling slowly as the ongoing pleas from his friends rang loud and clear in his head. It wasn't that he didn't  _want_  to do it.

But rather the fact that the  _black market_  would have changed drastically, compared to how it was years ago.

He shook his head as he re-thought the process of the "mission". The mission happened to be joining forces to help hunt down a pair of brothers that had gone missing for over two years who also held a special item in their grasp. Frau agreed deep inside of why they might have needed him, but it still didn't make much sense. He was only a private investigator for fuck's sake, not a goddamn miracle worker. Not that he was denying how good he was at his job.

With a sigh, Frau pinched his own nose bridge and cracked his neck. He crossed his arms as he fell into deeper thought about the important request. Apparently there were several leads saying that the brothers were seen near the brothel, but the leads after that were wiped clean and not to mention that those were year old clues. From his perspective, Frau could only shake his head and claim it as a pair or rebellious kids that may have just fallen victim to the black market.

And with his experience of the black market, he wasn't even sure if the kids were still alive anymore.

Frau stood up from his chair, picking up his now empty tea cup and left the room. Walking into the kitchen, he quickly washed the cup and hung it on the rack to dry. The sun had now begun to set in the sky, leaving an ombré of orange, pink and purple and left several of it's shades among the tiled kitchen floor. He yawned loudly, walking away from the sight outside of his windows and left to the living room. Sitting down on his cough, he turned on the flat screen t.v. before picking out the papers that Castor and Labrador had left behind for him to read over.

~*~

The never-ending pain in his legs and back made him feel as if he had been hit by a truck. Every step he took his body shook uncontrollably and it didn't help that the rain was pounding on his back. The clothes he wore was no help, and his home was at least a mile away or so from the brothel. Swearing fervently, he trotted homewards as fast as he could, ignoring the burning sensation all over his body that begged him to stop.

The town he lived in appeared deserted as there was only a dreary silence other than his heavy panting and the splashing he left on the concrete as he raced across the empty streets. Occasionally, he would pass by drunken men and junkies, but thankfully he had learned to avoid them swiftly as his time here grew longer.

Eventually, after running through back alleys and into the cold pouring rain, he had finally gotten "home." His home was nothing but an old apartment complex that was out of use due to danger of the building fall apart. The outside gave a feeling of a run down motel that hadn't seen humanity for decades. It's once nude color was now a muddy beige and the window panes were clouded with dirt and dust. But even though the building looked like it was in danger of falling apart, he couldn't be stopped from living in there anymore.

He quickly walked inside, leaving a wet trail of foot steps on the old worn down navy-blue carpet as he trudged up the spiraling stairs to the last floor: the fifth floor. The fifth floor was where he lived with his small family, though they weren't related by blood but by friendship.

Shivering cold, he stood in front of one of the many doors in the hall and knocked softly in a concise rhythm. With the sound of a lock being unlatched, the door swung open and a taller blond with an x-shaped scar on his cheek greeted him with a warm smile.

"Welcome back home, Teito."


	2. Subsequent

Even though Teito didn't open his eyes, he knew that it was past morning now. His room glowed a dull grey and the rain from the night before continued to pound against his window pane. His body still ached, but the pain was nothing he couldn't handle. With a sniff, he smelled the scent of bacon and eggs that had steadily wafted into his room along with the small pattering of feet constantly moving along the halls and toward his room.

"Teito-nii! Mika-nii says it's time to wake up and eat lunch!"

A small ball of energy hurled his way up onto his bed, jumping with enthusiasm, which forced him to fully awaken from his daze. Teito cracked an eye open and let out a small smile. A boy with tousled, spiky blond hair and honey colored eyes stared right back at him, a full blown smile spreading across his face. He chuckled lowly as he reached out his hand to comb out the tangles in the boy's hair.

"Tell Mikage that I'll be up in a couple minutes, okay?"

The boy nodded his head so fast that Teito was afraid the poor boy would shake his head off. But before Teito could say anything, the boy sprinted out the room as fast as his little legs could take him and raced down the hall. When the sound of the boy's pattering grew distant, Teito pushed himself off the bed which groaned lowly from his weight.

His body was lithe and he wore nothing but a thin blue long-sleeved, turtle-neck shirt and a pair of shorts that stopped above his knees. Standing up, he walked to his bathroom that consisted of a toilet, bathtub and sink compressed into a small amount of space barely larger then a closet. With eyes barely open, he lazily reached into his sink cabinet, pulling out his tooth brush and paste before brushing his teeth. Immediately soon after he washed his face as well and took another look in the mirror.

His green eyes were dull like an unpolished diamond and the bags underneath his eyes had grown larger compared to the last time he looked at himself in the mirror. Teito sighed and brought his hands up, resting them against the mirror as he continued to stare at his own reflection. With another yawn, he broke contact with the mirror and groggily walked out of his apartment room and went down the hall.

With a grumbling stomach, he steadily followed the scent of bacon that wafted his direction. He eventually found himself in front of a white door, and without a hint of hesitation, he walked in. The smell of food overpowered him along with the hint of wet asphalt. Going inside the kitchen, he saw the the window at the opposite end of the room was opened, leaving nothing but a broken screen to stop everything but the wind to enter the room.

"Hey, Teito." Teito turned his head and saw Mikage walking towards him with several plates in his arm. A small apologetic smile grace his features as he spoke, "I wanted you to come eat with us before Capella and I went shopping, sorry if you wanted to sleep in."

Teito nodded silently in response as he took the plates and bowls from the blond's arm and placed them on the table. Within seconds, the table had been successfully made with napkins and plated food that still steamed with heat. After Mikage had called in his younger brother, Capella, the three of them came together and ate in comfortable silence. But as Teito reached over to fill his bowl for a second helping, he caught Capella's eyes staring at his neck with curiosity.

"Teito-nii, is that another owie from work again?"

Teito snapped his hand to his nape on reflex and looked across the table to see Mikage staring intently at his neck as well. He felt his throat close up, allowing nothing but silence and heavy breathing from his mouth.

"...Yes. But keep eating the food Mikage made before it goes cold, or else you won't grow any taller." Teito teased.

The two of them erupted into lighthearted laughter as Capella puffed up like a ruffled bird and ate the remaining food in his bowl with gusto. Following in pursuit, the two older males finished quickly soon after the young child. After their lunch, Capella left the two adults to roam around freely in the living room and the only sound that filled that silence between the two was the constant splashing of the dishes and water from the faucet pouring down into the sink.

"...So what the hell was that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

The plastic dishes clashed loudly on the drying rack as Mikage turned off the faucet and turned to Teito, wiping his hands dry with a towel. Teito stared as the blond who leaned against the sink, honey-glazed eyes looking at his neck before greeting his eyes. "You know what I mean, so just show them to me Teito."

Teito sighed as he closed his eyes, letting out a frustrated breath while he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just hickey. Don't stress yourself out so much-

"Don't stress myself!? Teito, just tell me what you work as already! I won't judge you or anything, I mean, aren't we best friends!?"

"Mikage, Capella's in the other room...don't shout so loud."

Mikage snapped his mouth shut and looked at the door, which left a small slit to where he can look inside. But with hopes dashed, he could see his younger brother stare back at them with a broken and scared expression. Gazing back slowly to his best friend, he offered a bleak smile before walking away to the room where Capella was. But as his hands rested on the knob of the door, Mikage whispered solemnly with his back turned.

"I'll see you later, okay?"

With that, Mikage walked inside the room and softly closed the door till a sharp click sounded off. Teito sighed and threw his head back. He hated how the small things started arguments between the two, but truthfully he was glad that the other never pushed too far.

So, why did his chest always ache when the other dropped the conversation every time he asked him too?

~*~

"...FRAU!"

Frau jumped in his seat, body straightening up like a cadets as he watched his friend's glasses glare ominously in the bright lights of the office. He knitted his eyebrows in confusion before he took in his surroundings. He sat on the left side of a large meeting table which was filled with men in their suits, who were obviously staring him down as well, and coughed into his fist before he spoke.

"Anything wrong, Castor?"

"It's Hausen to you Birkin, and yes, there are a lot of things wrong." Castor replied. "The fact that you fell  _asleep_  during an important meeting is a problem."

"It's called ' _relaxing_ '. But a guy with stick up his arse twenty-four seven like you wouldn't know a thing about it."

"Excuse me? I'm not the poor excuse of a twat that can't even get laid-"

"Men! What is going on here!?"

The whole room turned to look at the man who had opened the door to the meeting room. The man's physique was stocky and muscular, his face showing wrinkles and marionette lines around his mouth. And not to mention his number one most notable feature: a jagged scar on his right eye that held it shut tight.

The man searched the room for the outburst and immediately zoomed in on Frau. With a sigh and mumbled curses under his breath, he sent Frau a glare before landing his eyes on Castor.

"Are you sure this man is even capable of performing his duties as a detective, Hausen?"

"He's more than just capable, and you know that more than I do, Mr. Bishop."

With a hesitant air surrounding the room, the man exhaled sharply from his nose and exited the room. After that, the meeting resumed and the small chit chats continued for another hour - with Frau fully awake this time - and by the time the sun had set high in the sky, the meeting had fully ended. People slowly slipped out of the meeting, which had left only Frau and Castor to reside in the empty room.

"Did you read all the documents that I left on the counter yesterday?"

Frau snorted as he placed his legs on the table leisurely despite the cold glare that he received from Castor.

"Yes  _mom_ , I did. So what?"

"Well what did you think of it then?"

Frau forced a fake thinking pose as he rubbed his chin, then broke out into a overly sweet smile as he spoke his thoughts. "Hmm...I think, no it's - totally useless four-eyes. Even you should know it already by now."

Castor gave Frau a dirty look before going up to the board they used during the meeting, staring at all leads and theories that had piled up along with the pictures of suspects. His finger tapped on the picture of the two brothers before drawing on invisible line all across the board.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Frau?"

"No dumb ass, I ain't telepathic yet-"

"I don't think they just ran away from home.", Castor interrupted. "I think...there has to be a bigger reason than to just leave. They had the perfect lives and there was nothing negative nor was there any problems at school."

"Well no shit, glasses. It's like you didn't even read the documents you gave to me-"

Castor swiftly pivoted on his heels and chucked a white board marker at Frau's head, who unfortunately dodged, and caught the flying utensil instead. Frau sent the man a dirty look before putting a stoic expression on his face as he walked to the board, the thrown marker uncapped in his hand as he began to write.

"So from what you gave to me, the two boys were born to the ideal family - no financial problems, good reputation, and no abuse what-so-ever." Frau drew lines from the printed profiles and the blond children to an empty space on the board and continued writing down his own theory. "And two years ago, which now makes the older brother Mikage seventeen and the younger brother Capella seven, ran away from home and the last they were ever seen was in Baltos, District Six."

Castor nodded, his eyes staring hard at what Frau wrote before pointing out the gaps between the leads. "But why would they be in Baltos? That's the question, Frau. The city's shady-"

"And that's where your theory comes in Cas," Frau spoke, "They didn't run away, they were kidnapped."

Castor snorted at the bluntness of the blond man. "Could you be anymore frank about this?"

"Castor, I don't think you understand." Frau said as he turned to the bespectacled man. "There's no such thing as 'ideal' and the fact that they were last spotted in Baltos means many things that can only be dumbed down to two ideas. It either means that they decided to take a field trip to the wrong side of town and got lost for over a year, or someone wants them gone."

"I get that you idgit, I'm not a moron like you. But why would anyone want to get rid of them and drop them off at Baltos?"

"It's because Baltos has an underground industry that supports several illegal trades of the Black market. And slavery might be one of them." Frau stared at Castor, his sapphire blues glimmered coldly against the glares of the man's glasses. "Sorry to say this Cassy, but there's a fifty-fifty chance that they might be-"

The door to the meeting room creaked open and Labrador, wearing a white lab coat, slowly peaked in with a light smile on his face.

"Sorry to disturb, but Mr. Bishop wants to see you two immediately after lunch break ends."

With a curt nod from both males, Labrador gave them another toothy grin and quickly left the room as fast as he had appeared. Castor turned to Frau, a worried expression on his face as he came to realization of the unsaid last word.

"Frau...we're investigators. We can't make any assumptions until there's any actual evidence that the civilians have been-"

Frau placed his hands on Castor's shoulder, efficiently shutting the man up before having to listen to another bothersome lecture. "Listen to me, and listen hard. No one ever makes it out of the black market without a scratch, Castor. And sometimes, certain people never make it out, and they," Frau said tapping on the pictures with absolute certainty,"are in that category."

Castor remained silent, and that was fine with Frau. The silence was enough to convey the words that were left unsaid. Then with the quick ring of Castor's wrist watch, the two chuckled bleakly as they walked towards the door.

"Time to go see-"

"The old man who can't even _fathom_ the beauty of women in their prime time."

"Frau!"


	3. Hunter's Guide

The room, organized tetris-style with blue reception chairs, held a deafening silence with the occasional flipping of magazine pages and a low hum from hidden vents. Frau sat in front of the reception desk while Castor leaned against it, a dull magazine in his hands while his lips mashed together like he had eaten something sour.

Then awakening the males from their reverie a female receptionist appeared, looking rather plump in the right places, called the two in and led them through the doors and down a ghastly silent hall to the last door at the very end. With the two at their destination the receptionist left, only to halt to slap Frau on the chest as he sent her smoldering look. Then quickly after she left Frau received another slap behind his head from none other than Castor as he sent a glaring look his way.

After a  _quiet_  dispute, the two men walked into the large studious office and encountered Mr. Bishop, who held his eyes close and clutched a cup of warm herbal tea in his calloused hands.

"Next time, quarrel within the waiting room instead outside of my door." Bishop huffed.

"Yes sir." One chirped, the other more jumbled as his face was bruised.

Bishop gestured the two to sit down, then handed out several documents as he smiled grimly. Frau snatched to grab both papers before blowing a raspberry discreetly at Castor who retorted angrily with a jab into the ribs before taking the other document. With a scrutinizing look, Bishop opened his eye, placing his drink on his desk before announcing the two to the suspecting speech that he held on the tip of his tongue.

"So I presume that you two have discussed the case of the missing Celestine children?"

"Yes, Jio We have-"

Castor wrestled Frau into a headlock, efficiently shutting him up as a nerve in his forehead bulged and instead responded to the man albeit the beast in his arms making it difficult to speak.

"Yes, Mr. Bishop, we have thoroughly discussed the situation and have come to a conclusion that the children have been kidnapped with ill intentions and their current location is unknown."

Jio's grim smile remained unfaltering as he took in the brief information, then with another sip of his tea, he gave a scrutinized look to Frau, who had broke out of the headlock, then back to Castor before letting out a hoarse chuckle. And before Jio could let out the explanation for his laughter a knocking on the door was heard, and with a loud ' _Come in_ ', the receptionist came in with two older males right on her tail.

Castor greeted the two males with a firm handshake before letting them to sit among them on the other couch in front of the desk. Frau, a cocky grin still apparent on his face as he watched the receptionist leave, turned to shake hands with the other males only to have his jaw slack open.

"You two," Jio said gruffly as he held back a cough, "These two men are you're seniors, so respect them. And I suppose you already know one of them, Detective Frau."

Frau, jaws still hanging, stared at the two men one being a bleached blond while the other a dark raven, also known as Bastien Birkin, his foster parent. Snapping his mouth shut, he gave Castor a look asking ' _You knew about this?'_  , in which he replied with a shrug, shaking his head.

Jio let out a hoarse cough, fist covering his mouth before speaking again to the fellows that rested upon his couch and documents laying upon the small glass coffee table that separated the four men.

"These two also have an unfinished case that may be connected to the two Celestine children. But first, let me introduce you to them." Jio gestured to the older males, "This here is Fea Kreuz Raggs, and the other is Bastien Birkin. Previously years ago, they have also lost a child to...kidnapping and they would like to provide some information that may prove useful to your case."

Castor squinted his eyes at the paper he held in his hands then adjusted the frames of his classes as he took a closer look. After a good twenty minutes his face morphed from surprise to tight-lipped as his eyes read the small fine printed paragraphs. Frau looked over his friends shoulder, barely able to read the first line as Castor jumped back with anger, hitting Frau up the chin with his broad shoulder.

"Excuse me but, are you telling us we have to find another missing individual while doing this case?"

Jio cast his eyes at Fea Kreuz who replied back with a wan smile, "It would be reassuring if you can find anything about this... _individual_."

Frau rubbed his chin while letting out a low pained 'tsk' before interrupting the argument. But as he opened his mouth, Bastien had beat him to it as he raised his voice at the two.

"We are offering you information that you need to hunt down the missing children in return that you find anything about this person. It's a rather promising deal as we aren't requesting much."

Bastien coughed, scratching the back of his neck as Kreuz gave the raven a thankful smile. Castor placed his chin on his palms as he succumbed to defeat, accepting the unsaid deal. Frau then picked up the documents to read over, mostly skimming through it. The picking up the article that has started the small conflict earlier, Frau looked at Fea Kruez sympathetically.

"Was it a relative of yours?"

"Yes, he's been missing for years now so there's a chance that he...may be gone already. But anything to confirm his existence of being alive once would be kind of you to do."

Frau nodded his head solemnly and went back to reading the documents alongside Castor. And for a good ten minutes the room was in a comfortable silence. Until Castor turned to look at Frau, catching a piece of torn white paper shuffled into his coat's chest pocket.

"Frau, what is that?"

Frau sent Castor a fleeting look before taking it out to look himself, only to burst laughing as a surprised smile spread across his face.

"The receptionist gave me her number, how sweet of her."

"Damn it, Frau! Now is not the time for this!"

~*~

The broken clock ticked ever so slowly along with the tapping of the rain that still refused to stop. He opened his eyes which remained blurry amidst the hot water vapor that clouded the cramped bathroom. Every body movement had left water sloshing over the edge and squeaking of skin against the acrylic white tub.

Teito soaked himself in the heat, wallowing in the water before plunging into it with a hand pinching his nostrils closed. Then slowly, he opened his eyes and listened to the overwhelmingly loud hum of the lights that took away the obnoxious silence that lived in the deserted building. He awaited a while before rising to the surface again and to let out a loud yet slow exhale.

Time flew by quickly whenever he had done this,so this time Teito had decided to spend as little time as he could in the comforting heat that left his body pruned and relaxed. With nothing but a towel hung around his waist, he drained the tub and aired out the bathroom before walking out. His bedroom embraced his high temperature with an icy draft, welcoming him back to the silence that awaited him.

Walking to his draw, he placed his hands on the knob, about to open before a piece of white torn paper laid at the corner of his eyes. Picking it up, a small zip-lock bag and a red lollipop fell out leaving a sound of small thuds against the hardwood floors. Reading the note, his intrigued expression was quickly replaced with a scowl.

 _I see your two hamsters are doing well, but make sure they don't run away too far. Who knows if there's a hungry snake nearby? But anyways, Aya-tan wants you to come to the party in a couple days and bring_ it  _with you.  
P.s. Here's the relaxant and a lollipop. Aren't I nice?~_

Teito dropped the note carelessly and picked the small bag, eyeing the white contents inside of it before looking at the lollipop with disdain. He placed the contents back on top of his draw before taking another towel from the bathroom to dry his hair faster.

 _'Damn assholes'_ , Teito thought as he leaned over his bed and took a look outside his window. The window pane was still blurred with rain water, but the rain had ceased to a soft drizzle and sky was turning darker as night was starting to settle. Yards away from within view of the window, he could see two figures trudging through the puddles of the empty street.

Mikage and Capella had left to go shopping in the super market and had returned with several bags in their arms. He could see from his window the younger brother hopping in the puddles and an recognizable toothy smile on his face while Mikage walked after him.

Teito couldn't help but feel the aching sensation rest on his chest again. The fleeting happiness was too short and sweet. But a deal was a deal and his pride in keeping it stopped him from doing what was right, but this was an exception. As Hyuuga had written, who knew when a hungry snake was nearby? He wasn't going to place them in danger for his own greed.

He rubbed his face with his palms as the thought raced his mind. He had to break it to them that he was going to be gone again in the next following days. But first, he had to put some clothes on before doing anything.


	4. Arrivals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ehem, if anything, I must deeply apologize for this chapter being a bit late due to some problems - you guys will read the scene soon enough lol - and yeah things are about to go down soon guys. So please keep reading and if you have any criticism, feel free to make them! Now, enjoy reading~

Teito struggled with the wig, hands fixing and pulling to keep the wig looking like it was his own. Then with another tug, he looked into the mirror. The bags underneath his eyes were still recognizable despite all the make-up he had applied which had occurred to him that it was fruitless to cake anymore on. He puffed childishly as poked his face again with grim curiosity. Sometimes it amazed him that he could look so feminine yet still have male counterparts.

Looking back at the mirror, he nodded with sad satisfaction and left the room to change into his outfit. It was nothing but a loose black halter top dress that billowed around his knees, obviously he still wore his navy boxer briefs underneath, but unfortunately everything else was unmasculine. But this was the usual attire for the parties that he attended as a host, or rather, hostess. Putting everything on and making sure all was in place, he slowly crept out into the halls and closed his door.

He walked down the hallway, only pausing in front of Mikage's door but quickly shooed the thought away and continued walking again. He had caused enough for the blond the night before. The three were happy to be together again but the abrupt news that he would have to leave again with no explanation to give, Mikage had blown up before clinging to him, asking him to stay longer.  _'If only I could,'_ Teito thought sadly _, 'if only I could.'_

He walked down the hall and then down the flight of stairs, the heels of his feet often scuffing the carpeted floor of the vacant hotel while he carried his heeled shoes in his hand. Each step let out a soft 'clump' and eventually he arrived at the door of the hotel, a tall figure waiting there for him. The man adjusted his sunglasses before smiling sweetly with blue lollipop in his mouth.

Hyuuga waited for the younger male to snap on his shoes before the both walked silently to the car that hid within the shadows of the building. Before slipping inside the car, Teito turned his head to look at the rising sun and it's red glow traced the silver linings of the clouds in the sky. The car roared to life then with a slow hum of its engines, the car raced down the street that twisted and turned, the scenery never changing.

Teito watched, cheeks pressed against knuckles as his eyes never wavered from the black tinted windows. Sky scrapers of the town pierced the blushing red sky and every building was budding to life underneath it's crimson gaze. Teito's eyes-lids fluttered, barely falling asleep as the silence lulled him to rest, but soon enough the car halted to a quick stop. Hyuuga grinned at him through the car's rear view mirror, pearly-white teeth holding the lollipop in plain view before exiting the car.

Teito grumbled as he followed the man out the car and into a foreboding building that were similar to all the skyscrapers the towered high into the early morning sky. The thin dress billowed and whipped around his legs while his long hair - due to the wig - ribboned behind him, and Hyuuga's thick coat fluttered slightly as they walked in towards the tall building. Hyuuga held the door open, bowing down mockingly as he ushered the younger male inside who scoffed. Teito looked around him as the inside of the building sparkled with sin.

The building: a casino oasis, rang loud with the noise of slot machines and the dim yellow lights that scattered the ceiling allowed the fancy interior of wood and glass to sparkle with money. With Hyuuga walking ahead, Teito followed reluctantly with stiff sharp shoulders like a military cadet despite wearing a dress and shoes the felt like stilts, leaving a 'tap tap' noise against the tiled floors.

Albeit the sun just starting to awake, people had already filled the place with their smokes and blunts which left the smell of smoke and nicotine and hoarse laughter. Teito glared at the floor as they walked, eventually entering an elevator with the older man and soon enough they had entered a door on one of the many floors that rose above most buildings. Going inside, Hyuuga snickered as a sharp dart sliced mere inches away from his ear.

"I'm happy to see you too, and I've also brought the little lamb with me, Aya-tan~"

The man, hair shinning silver, leaned back against the dark mahogany desk and tossed another dart on to dart board, scoring a perfect ten on the red dot. Hyuuga smiled sweetly and turned to Teito to hand him his umpteenth lollipop before bouncing out of the room with glee. Teito, standing there alone, fumbled with the hem of his dress as he awaited for the man - no, he wasn't just  _a man_.

He was Ayanami. His devil, his savior,  _his God._

And no one could compare to this disgusting, putrid filthy man that stood before him.

"Did you eat the relaxant that Hyuuga handed to you a few days ago?"

"Of course not, who knows what  _you_  would've put in it." Teito spat.

Ayanami chuckled quietly as he sat the darts back down and walked toward Teito with a dangerous gleam in his amethyst, slit snake-eyes that sent shivers up his spine. Then in a blink of an eye, Teito felt Ayanami's cold hands scrape his nape and fingers digging into his hair, the man shoved him down into the couch that rested underneath the dart board. He groaned as the grip on his hair left pain to surge his scalp as the wig was almost pulled off.

Long fingers traced his cheek before holding his chin, forcing him to look the man in the eye. Teito snarled as Ayanami smirked knowingly.  _'Sadistic bastard'_ , Teito thought.

"There's going to be a man that's going to be your client today who goes underneath the name of Nanase." Ayanami mumbled as he nuzzled into the boy's neck.

Teito shivered as the man began to talk while his fingers slipped underneath his dress and pressed firmly against places that made his body flush hot. The mumbling lips left words vibrating on his skin, going from his neck downward to his collarbone, dress now torn off and revealing more skin than what was necessary. Teito quivered and arched his back away from the man and sunk deeper into the couch. 

He could feel the man smirk against his skin, "-- must serve him well and keep him distracted. If bad goes to worse, you know what to do. Don't disappoint me, Klein."

His mind was clouded with unwanted lust, even biting his lips to it bled wasn't enough to stop his body from responding to the older male's touch. Then the lips glided down to the V's of his hip, tragically bruising them red and saliva glistening in the dim light of the room. Teito whined as Ayanami touched everywhere but the hardening bulge in his briefs that wanted more than half-assed attention.

Unknowingly, his hips had lifted from the couch and a small clink could be heard, waking him from his lustful reverie and saw a gleam of silver that was more than recognizable. A chastity belt. Teito felt his organ weep as his garments were slipped off and the  belt was strapped on tightly against his shaft.

"You've been good," Ayanami hummed with a twisted smile. "But dirty dogs shouldn't be on the couch."

Teito, smacked with lust and shame, was dragged off the couch and placed between the man's thick legs. He gulped as his manhood burned with pain and need to be touched. He writhed away, but Ayanami had a steel grip on his wig and pulled him back. The words went over his head, but Teito could hear the degrading tone held against him and the condescending eyes looking down at him as he sat there, helpless between the man's leg and the tenting bulge in his pants that begged for his attention.

With hot breaths and a jumbled mind, Teito reluctantly accepted to the demand as he laid his hands daintily on the bulky, muscular thighs. Then with an experienced mouth, he placed his teeth on the zipper and pulled it down slowly to release what was underneath.

"Good boy," Ayanami whispered breathy. "Pleasure your master with what I've taught you, slave."

~*~

Frau let out a huff of breath against the window, letting the warm air fog up into a small circle on his car window as the the thought breached his mind again, Bastien's worried voice ringing in his ear.

_'When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you, Frau. Please tell me you won't look into the abyss again. Just promise me that, Frau, promise me you won't --'_

"What are you thinking about, Frau? It's unnatural for someone like you to be silent." Castor teased.

"I was thinking about the receptionist who gave me her number," Frau grumbled. "And you didn't have to hit me so hard - I mean - did you even  _see_  the bruise on my face?"

Castor tsked, leaving one hand on the wheel as he turned to Frau, "Listen, whatever you do I better not see you at any-"

"Brothels. I got it already, Glasses, no need to repeat yourself."

"...Is that what you were really thinking about?"

Frau ignored the question, pretending to not hear it as he unwrinkled the folded map in his hands. Lines were traced all over, several red circles dotting around the map with cursive writings that if read slowly said 'hideouts' or 'black trade'. He traced his fingers against the paper feeling the erased words and water stains that left the paper corrugated.

The drive was slow, mostly due to heavy traffic, and Frau couldn't say if driving with Castor and sitting in the passenger seat as a navigator was a good idea of not. But he would be lying if he said that he hated the drive to the destination. Not many people could drive with him anyways, especially when road rage had hit him hard during traffic.

"Turn left at the next stop, and we'll be in Q street within Barsburg."

Castor murmured a low 'thanks', and soon the car took a sharp left into the opening of Q street. Frau wished he could say the view was awe-inspiring, but it wasn't. Buildings towered into the sky, but the color scheme was bland and dull. Black and brown seemed to be the only color and the feeling of the place being a trashed, isolated town came in as the two watched ripped plastic bags fly by.

Unfortunately, their hotel was settled within the area. If they could find it amidst the black and brown that is.

Soon enough they had found the inn and parked the car somewhere in the multi-storey car park that raised up form the ground like a tower. Frau strolled with his luggage behind the spectacled man who grumbled under his breath that was something akin to "How the hell did the case connect to Barsburg" and "are the kids still even alive?"

Going to the lobby and getting their keys, they had boarded an elevator and waited till they were on the seventh floor to find their room 1075. With a high pitched bing of the elevator stopping on the needed floor, they exited and walked down the carpeted hall way that were illuminated by the morning sunrise. Having found their room they unlocked it and entered to find just basic color schemes of grey, black and blue for the interior.

The room was just like any other hotel room; a large wardrobe with a t.v. as well as a desk with a mirror to two beds and a large bathroom with a combined shower and bath tub that had a bleached white shower curtain. Frau locked the door to the room and sat his belongings that was closer to the windows that faced the sunrise, clouds diminishing underneath a blaze of orange and red that blended into the night sky that still lingered.

Opening one of the many small pockets on his luggage, he pulled out an intricately designed ear cuff. Painful memories arose, banging from inside the back of his skull as he palmed the accessory with great care. Castor watched from a close distance, an unreadable expression on his face as he watched the blond palm the object before turning his attention to his sleeve.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Frau chuckled.

By now, Frau had rolled his right sleeve of his trench coat which then revealed a bandaged arm that was wrapped around his palm and continued on to his broad shoulder. He could feel castor watching his every move and he felt nostalgia wash over him. It had been so long since his arm was free from it's bandages, but for sure this time it was only going to be for show.

He had promised Bastien after all.

"For calling you a thief that one time."

"Damn right you better be," Frau barked as he unwound the last strand of the bandage. "I ain't no thief, I'm a fuckin' Sky Pirate!"


	5. Sneaky preparation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for not updating for a while, but I was in a slump for a bit but I hope these two chapters are good enough~  
> (I swear, chapter five is *the* longest chapter I have ever written ... I think ... but anyways enjoy :D)

"This is stupid - no wait,  _you_  are stupid. I mean what kind of idea is that!?"

"Chill Glasses, I'm never wrong when it comes to stuff like this."

"There was that one time-"

_"It was only one time!"_

"It wasn't just...shut up and eat you twat."

Frau and Castor sat in the restaurants within one of the many Casinos and dined on their breakfast which steamed with warmth as the fancy low-hanging lights hung inches away from their heads. The light shone dim within the restaurant and people had begun to swarm the place and fill the air with low muffled voices.

Frau dined on a plate of pancakes that were smothered in syrup and whip crème while Castor sipped on his Espresso with a plate of omelets in front of him. Castor stared at Frau with disgusted fascination as the tall blond bent over and devoured the meal like it was his last; quick and messy.

Still choking in disgust, Castor brought out the map that the two older males had given them and lay out to see. The hotel they were going to spend their nights in was circled lightly with a pencil and directions to getting to Barsburg were erased. If a smeared black and pink streak from a pencil could be called 'erased', then indeed Frau had erased it.

Frau munched on the last of his pancake and stared at the map along with Castor. Seeing his friend scrunch his brows together, he teasingly poked fun at the man.

"If you keep your face like that it'll stay like that forever."

Frau winced as he received a blow to his shin underneath the table and banged his head against to the table childishly. His forehead and shin both throbbed with pain and moved his arm to palm his face in agony. But as he did so the sleeve of his black shirt moved upward, flashing a large ongoing tattoo that crawled further into the sleeve of his arm.

Castor stared, eyes narrowing at the sight and unconsciously clenched his teeth. The blond caught the stare and grinned, his smile becoming a malicious smirk and his canines flashed sharp in the light. "Are you  _scared?"_

"Of course I am", Castor spoke before grinning himself. "I might catch the virus that kills your brain cells, so please stop smiling like a psychotic moron."

Frau dropped the smile and tch-ed at the mock before looking at the map along with the spectacled man with boredom. He chewed on his fork while Castor murmured to himself as he wrote on the map with a mechanical pencil of his own. The pencil left nothing but scratching noises as the shorter man continued to write down information.

Frau, having taken out the fork from his mouth now, read the writings out loud. "Missing victims, may have been transported to Barsburg, main city for dealings...don't let Frau into any brothels? Seriously?"

"I'm serious, Frau, you cannot go into any  _brothels_."

"What if it's for finding information?"

Castor glared at Frau with irritation and before he could retort angrily a loud crash could be heard resounding from somewhere far away within the casino somewhere. Frau's eyes widened as he watched the scene unfold before him. Security guards and paramedics rushed into the building and rushed by their restaurant with a stretcher. The commotion almost seemed to be a normal occurrence as people barely turned heads to look and continued on with their business.

Then just as quickly as it happened, the security guards and paramedics returned, rushing back with a pale man on their stretcher that seemed to be in his mid-fifties as his head was beginning to bald and left patchy curly hairs on the side of his head. Frau and Castor both watched confused and horrified until a waitress had come to interrupt the two to take their finished plates away and refilling their drinks.

As the waitress began to walk away, Castor called her back with his tone hard and calm to keep the worried tone from surfacing in his voice. "Is that a normal occurrence here, or do people usually just shrug that off easily?"

The waitress smiled calmly with a fake sweetness in her voice, "Not really, but there's no need to be worried, he was probably a crazy nut head or something. If there's anything else you two sirs need, please feel free to ask."

Castor left the waitress to walk away as he turned around back to Frau with a serious expression on his face. Frau kept his silence, exhaling sharply as he placed his chin on his palm and leaned closer to Castor.

"That's not fucking normal Cas and you know it. There's something really  _really bad_  with this place."

"...I know."

Now it was Frau's turn to glare at Castor who went back to looking at the map. Slamming his hand on top of the map, Frau growled at the shorter man to gain his attention.

"I didn't sign up for this shit, Castor. I promised Bastien I wouldn't go bat shit crazy again and I'm this close -  _this close_ \- to doing something you sure as hell won't like." Frau pressed his pointer finger and thumb close together and left barely an inch of space in between to represent his feelings and watched Castor's face morph into a mixture of pure anger and annoyance.

"Don't even  _move_  from your spot, Birkin." Castor spat as he took out a grey cellular device from his pocket, "I'll call Labrador and see if we can get your  _idea_ started _."_

Frau grinned devilishly as he sat patiently while Castor quickly dialed on his cellphone and pressed the device to his ear. "Hello? Lab? Okay, well there are some items we need pronto and - no, Frau's fine. Sorry Labby but this is important so I have to make it quick. I need two temporary black hair spray dyes, colored eye contacts and ..."

Castor scowled at Frau, who smiled widely in response and urged the man to continue on with the list of items.

"...and some porn mags."

~*~

He watched from the corner of a restaurant window as the stretcher was pushed into an ambulance which drove quickly away out of sight. His fingers curled into a clenched fist on the table as the walkie talkie in his lap buzzed with static.

"Is he gone?~"

Teito bit back that acid in his mouth as he replied. "Yes, they're already heading to the hospital. Want me to give them a call?"

"Nah," Hyuuga chuckled in response, "Aya-tan's already called them to let them know that Doctor Nanase is no more.~"

Teito dropped the device back onto the cushion of the seat and slumped back. Somewhat disturbed and the feeling of hostility being lifted from his shoulders, he listened to the people surrounding him that were either tourists or gambling addicts that would never leave. But as he listened to the buzz that acted as his white noise, he could hear low muffled voices that were talking to a waitress earlier.

With a worried side glance from the waitress of what to say, Teito could only conclude that the two were not just tourists, but unwanted guests that stuck out from the norm. Sneaking closer, Teito sat himself on the booth opposite of the conversing men. A large wooden slat covering as a wall between them for facial privacy.

"--Castor. I promised Bastien I wouldn't go bat shit crazy again and I'm this close -  _this close_ \- to doing something you sure as hell won't like."

Teito leaned closer to the slats that separated them to hear better and listen in to their conversation. This at least seemed interesting enough. But something gnawed at the back of his brain as a name sprung forth in the conversation.  _Bastien?_  The name seemed awfully familiar, yet the memory of the said person remained on the edge of his tongue.

"Don't even  _move_  from your spot, Birkin. I'll call Labrador and see if we can get your  _idea_ started _."_

So one of them was named Birkin? Teito edged closer as he pressed his ears against the slats to get a better insight of their conversation. Not that it was really needed, but the information seemed interesting enough to relay back to Ayanami-sama. They couldn't afford another information leak or betrayal to poke a hole in their armor.

"Hello? Lab? Okay, well there are some items we need pronto and - no, Frau's fine. Sorry Labby but this is important so I have to make it quick. I need two temporary black hair spray dyes, colored eye contacts and....and some porn mags."

 _'Well...one of them is a pervert then.'_  Teito thought as he scowled in disgust. He had his fair share of perverts and still couldn't understand the need to have a picture of someone to  _'jack off'_  too. Not that he wanted to know anyways despite Mikage trying to show him the "beauty" of it.

"Make sure that he gets the mag with Candice in it. She's particularly my type and-"

"I just hope he burns them all before he gets here."

The brunet held an inward sigh as the voice that sounded like vat of bourbon belonged to the perverted man who appeared to be named...Frau Birkin? He wasn't so sure if that was the name of the man, but at least having something to name the voice seemed nice. It was also nice that his name matched his personality.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're rude?"

"I'm rude? That's funny because you just threatened me to close down the whole casino which I know you might do if I didn't tell him to get those... _those mags_."

The voice spat out the words like it had eaten something rotten. Teito's lips curled upwards slightly as the conversation went farther south into indecency that no normal human being could keep listening too. But it conveyed as a swift distraction to most listeners as hidden innuendos of secrecy slipped in and out of their conversation.

Were they cops? Or could they possibly be another black market trade group that had crawled into their territory? But if they were another group they couldn't possibly have the guts to close down their casino albeit the countless times it had happened before.

But with such information, Teito knew he would have to report back to his superiors as much as he didn't want to. He wanted to go back home to Mikage and Capella as quickly as possible and make sure that no one had found their small nesting ground yet.

Teito leaned away from the slats and just before he fell into deep thoughts of reporting the sight of unwanted guests, the forgotten walkie talkie in his hand spewed out deafening static. Teito's heart nearly jumped into his throat as the men on the other side of the booth quickly silenced themselves.

Teito dove underneath his table, hands pressed against the device to quiet the noise and end the incoming message from his superior. He could hear the slats that separated him from the guests squeak under heavy weight as if one of them were peering over to his side.

"...Someone's been listening on us. We should leave now Glasses, this might be a hot spot for  _activities_..."

He quivered like a hunted animal as his blood ran cold through his veins, his heart throbbed dangerously loud against it's bony cage. Teito slowed his breathing that came out like hurried pants as his shirt stuck to him like a second skin too small for his lithe frame. The silence remained uncomfortable until he heard the slats squeak again from its release.

"C'mon glasses, we ain't got all day."

Teito let out a long held sigh as he heard the foot stops move farther away from him. He pressed the un-mute button on the walkie talkie that gained another groan of static before Hyuuga's sweet voice erupted from the device's forced silence.  
  
"What was the hold up for, Coney Queen?"

Teito bit his lips as he whispered fervently into the device, "Two unwanted are in the restaurant and just left and may cause some trouble. And don't call me that...it's disgusting."

"Just leave them be,  _Coney Queen_ ," Hyuuga laughed tauntingly. "We'll smoke 'em out in no time flat. Anyways, keep an eye out on them for just in case."

"Yes, sir. Is there anything else from Ayanami-sama?"

Teito cradled the device in his hands as he leaned further under the table. But as his green eyes scoured the surrounding area, his eyes widened in terror as he could see a reflection of himself on steel doors for restaurant employees to enter the kitchen and such forth.

_The man had seen him._

"--wants you to know that you can't go and see your two hamsters tonight and go to a whore house and see if you can find the two unwanted first. Aya-tan has to leave for a couple days to see the 'chairman'. Haruse will keep you updated if you need anything, so see ya Tei-chan~"

Teito shut off the device quickly before scrambling out from under the table. One of them had seen him, or at least had a blurry image of him hiding beneath the table. Shaking his head to calm himself, he stood up and left the shop with nothing but one mission in mind: Find the unwanted and stop them before further harm.

~*~

Frau ambled aimlessly behind Castor and trudged up ahead on the cracked grey sidewalk. The wind blew constantly against them, whipping enough cold air into their faces that they couldn't breathe properly. As their black trench coats fluttered behind them, they finally entered their hotel and sighed as the warm air greeted their cold body. Castor took back out his cellphone and checked the time before turning back to Frau who graced the spectacled man with a tired smile.

"Lab just texted me that he'll be arriving sometime tonight or in the early morning with our stuff." Castor looked back to the device as it flashed with another message, "And says he couldn't bring any of the mags due to their un-importance to the mission."

Frau pouted childishly as he let out a dog-like whine before stumping up the stairs, ignoring castor's scolding of 'don't stomp when you walk' and continued to do so until he was out of the shorter man's sight. Going into their room, Frau sat on the chairs near the large window and looked out to the cloud-filed sky that was slowly turning grey. Like as if it were about to rain.

"This town really does live up to its name, doesn't it?"

Frau looked over his shoulder to see the red-haired man pull off his boots before sitting down on the bed near him. Arching a brow questioningly, Frau leaned back into the chair and waited for his friend to continue with his new-found knowledge of the town.

"Apparently the nick name for Basbrug is Rain City due to rain that appears twenty-four seven. I've also heard that those who immerse themselves in the sin here can never leave without paying something back. But also to what we know, Barsburg is the biggest town known to us officers and detectives that harbors black market activity."

"And that man we saw earlier today was damn well a part of the black market industry."

"There could also be a chance that-"

"People  _barely_  turned heads to see what the commotion was about Castor. No one was even fazed by it nor did they seem to care. That place definitely seems to have some kind of illegal activity if anything and-"

Castor's phone flashed with another message that stopped the two from talking any further. He dug the phone out and clenched it tightly as his eyes swiftly read the message. Jumping off the bed, Castor quickly pivoted on his heels and grabbed his boots to stuff himself in as fast as he could.

"Is lover boy in trouble?"

"S-shut up you twat," Castor grumbled out in the irritation, "I'll be back in an hour or two so don't even  _think_  about going to a brothel or something for fun."

"Christ, someones got their panties in a twist-"

Castor flung a black stapler at Frau before heading out of the door in a hurried fashion as he fumbled with his coat before leaving. Frau winced as the stapler had met the tender side of his scalp. Rubbing it, he winced as the skin began to swell up slightly.

_'He can really throw stuff....'_

With a long sigh, Frau got up himself and patted off the imaginary dust from his clothes. Since Castor was long gone from the area judging form how quick he left, Frau had decided to leave himself. Combing his hair through his fingers and adjusting his clothes for the night time hunt he exited the room and walked down it's now empty halls.

Frau chuckled to himself as he finally reached the outside.  _'Don't even think about going to a brothel, huh? But that's where all the fun is Castor.'_

Pulling out a lighter and a cigarette, Frau lit the nicotine-filled object and inhaled its toxic fumes. It's bitter taste gushing out on top of his salivating tongue and a burning sensation at the back of his throat.

 _'How long has it been since I've smoked my last cigarette?',_  Frau thought as he took another puff of the addicting stick.

But with his last exhale of the smoke, Frau wandered off into the dreary night, listening to nothing but its forlorn silence as the street lights illuminated his way into the heart of the city. And just to his luck, the grey clouds had finally begun to loosen as rain drizzled slowly onto the dark slabs of concrete. Frau cursed as he looked up into the now inky black sky before racing for cover.

He only had an hour to do the search alone with no reigns, and no rain was going to stop him. He had a job and nickname to live up to after all. And the first thing to do was either find the eavesdropper hours before, or head to a whore house. With a massive shit-eating grin on his face, Frau paced under the covers of the buildings as he parted for down town. He was definitely heading to a whore house tonight no matter what Castor said.

Whore houses held the most rumors, secrets and information, so what was the harm of doing the job quicker?


	6. Squabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I can say is sorry for being MIA for so long. All I had saved - or rather what could be salvaged Q_Q - is this, and it's kinda wordy too so it's not much. But hey, since I have some legit time off from life right now, I can produce some more chapters. So be ready for a couple more chapters to pop out sometime soon. Hopefully.  
> (Oh, and also, I did delete the original chapter six. When I was away I was planning to fix the plot and all its plotholes, and eventually chapter six had to go lol sorry about that.)  
> Merry Christmas Eve everyone!~

 His blue eyes gazed off into the unknown as his hands unconsciously flipped through several pages of a magazine. The bold headlines glared off brightly in neon colors on it's coffee tinted pages, almost seeming to beg the tall man to turn his attention back to useless drama scribbled in expensive printer ink. On the other side of the room Castor stood, nose scrunched up and eyes narrowed as he looked into a beige-colored folder that was torn at the edges. Castor pushed his glasses up higher onto his nose bridge as if it were his impaired vision that was causing him agony.

"Stop lazying around and help me, you dimwit."

The blonde gave the red-haired man a pointed look before standing up to join him in his agony. Beige folders rested on the bed, sprawled open in an uncaring fashion compared to it's once former glory of organized and clean. Pages were written with different colored pens, and liquid stains had warped the smooth paper. And for some reason, the teasing thought of, _'Wow, Castor needs help finding something? Now this is a real Kodak moment.'_ popped up in mind. Frau nearly gnawed his cheek through to stop the words from tumbling out.

"So what'cha lookin' for glasses?"

"The damn papers that gave us the information. Did you take it?"

Frau huffed, on the brink of snorting at the accusation before picking up one of the papers that had fallen onto the floor. Scribbles of pen stains were smeared over the paper, but the loopy font that stuck out firmly on the paper gave him a sense of nostalgia. Bastien's cursive hand-writing hadn't change at all despite the decades that had passed by.

"Which doc are you looking for Cas?"

The said person muttered curses through his clenched teeth, hands rapidly tearing away at folders before grabbing out another which was equally unorganized as the last. Frau ignored Castor's distraught grumbling as he flipped through some papers that were clipped together. Despite the terrible unreadable handwriting, Frau continued to look through them and his eyes almost widened at the expanse of the information that was collected on them.

Pictures of marked streets for ideal drug dealings, house addresses written down for where drugs were stored and names of individuals that were proved dependable for certain topics. To say that Frau was amazed would be an understatement. He was astounded.

But even with all of the information that could make even the best of the best detectives jealous, their case has been left as cold as the pouring rain outside their hotel.

Frau, still looking at the warped page, picked up another that was also littered with Bastien's handwriting. Except it was filled with more pictures.

"What were the seniors looking for? With so much information...how could the case they were working on be left cold?"

Castor snorted as he picked up a bulky binder, dumping it's inside onto the fixed bed. "They were looking for a missing person if I recall correctly. But there weren't any more clues nor any leads other than accusations. So did you find the papers, yet?"

Frau handed Castor his document, then chuckled as his eyes lighted up quickly in recognition. Castor held the paper with a distinctly soft touch, un-wanting his hands to leave creases on the paper. "Have you read this already?"

"Hardly," Frau laughed. "You know I can't read Bastien's handwriting for the life of me."

Castor ignored the comment as he walked to his own desk area in the small room, placing the paper beside his laptop before hurrying to type away. Frau exhaled sharply before turning to look out his window. It was as if the sun ceased to exist. In its place were grey clouds that refused to budge, remaining still and heavy with darkness in it's underbelly. Frau squinted, almost believing that he could see a spot of blue, but it must have been an illusion for after another blink the blue disappeared into the heavy grey. Then just before Frau could sink into the abyss of his thoughts, Castor interrupted him with a light cough.

"Where did you go last night?"

The clicking on the keyboard continued despite Castor's concentration being reduced to half. And almost instinctively Frau could feel the oncoming lecture from the bespectacled man. Holding in a childish groan, Frau left the words to smoothly roll off his tongue like usual.

"You said you were going to be gone for an hour, so I went to investigate our surrounding areas first. You never said that I couldn't do that."

"So you just upped and left? Oh right, I forgot, you're the _'Since I'm here, nothing's going to happen'_ kind of guy!"

"Fuck off, Glasses, nothing happened-"

"Of course nothing happened!" Castor spat, "Whatever, just, did you find anything then?"

Frau scowled at the question. "Of course not. Who do you think I am? _You?"_  
  
"Oh ha ha. Very funny Frau." He replied dryly.  
  
The air between them was empty and stale, leaving the pit-a-pat of the rain to embrace the quietness of their dying conversation. Moments later Frau stood up stiffly, needing only seconds to adjust his boots before walking out the door. As soon as he was almost out of earshot, he could hear Castor turning on his chair with his head slightly thrown back to spy the lingering broad back of the tall male. "And where the hell do you think you are going?"

"Out."

 


End file.
